Writing Tools

I read a cool interview in the St. Pete Times with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the quirky classic "Freakonomics." Inspired by several analogies, Dubner and friends created a contest in which people submitted a new motto for the United States of America. Mottos tend to be short, of course, and in this case the contestants were limited to six words.

The entries, predictably, were all over the board: partisan and neutral; clever and serene; somber and humorous. The winner: OUR WORST CRITICS PREFER TO STAY. Slap that baby on the dollar bill.

We at Poynter, always on the lookout for a good gimmick, have decided to glom on to this one. We are looking for a six-word motto on the purpose, mission, genius, tragedy, poverty and general condition of contemporary journalism. The winner will receive an autographed copy of the book: "Writing Tools:  50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer."

The rules:

1. The motto must be about journalism, but does not have to contain the word journalism.
2. The motto must be exactly six words long, not five, not seven.
3. Multiple entries from the same writer are OK.
4. The deadline for entries is: Friday, April 25, at noon EST.
5. Poynter is free to publish, or not, any entry.

Here are a six mottos from me, just to get you started:

--Last one out, turn off lights.
--If it doesn't fit, edit it.
--Need more Knight, but less Ridder.
--All the news no longer fits.
--See no evil, write no story.
--Feed the watchdog, euthanize the lapdog.

You can send your submissions to rclark@poynter.org.